From the U.S. Government Accountability Office, www.gao.gov
Transcript for: DHS Actions to Address Overstays
Description: Audio interview by GAO staff with Rebecca Gambler,
Director, Homeland Security and Justice
Related GAO Work: GAO-13-683: Overstay Enforcement: Additional Actions
Needed to Assess DHS's Data and Improve Planning for a Biometric Air
Exit Program
Released: July 2013
[Background Music]
[Narrator:] Welcome to GAO's Watchdog Report, your source for news and
information from the U.S. Government Accountability Office. It's July
2013. Each year millions of people are legally admitted to the United
States for temporary visits. When visitors stay longer than they are
allowed, the Department of Homeland Security works to identify and take
action against them. A team led by Rebecca Gambler, a director in GAO's
Homeland Security and Justice team recently examined the Department of
Homeland Security's progress in identifying and addressing overstays.
GAO's Sarah Kaczmarek sat down with Rebecca to talk about what they
found.
[Sarah Kaczmarek:] Overstays have been a challenge for DHS for a number
of years now. Exactly how many people are we talking about here?
[Rebecca Gambler:] That question gets a key takeaway from our report
which is that DHS is supposed to report annual overstay estimates by
statute but hasn't done so regularly since 1994. And DHS has not
regularly been reporting overstay estimates because of concerns about
the reliability of the data that would be used to calculate those
estimates. DHS has taken some steps to improve the connections among
databases that are used for identifying overstays and that would provide
the data that would be used to determine overstay rates. But DHS has not
assessed and documented how those connections among those databases have
improved the reliability of their data on potential overstays. And so we
recommended that the department document and assess the extent to which
the reliability of its data on potential overstays has improved for
reporting purposes.
[Sarah Kaczmarek:] Now, in addition to the data reliability concerns
your team found in the report, your team also looked at DHS efforts to
establish a biometric exit system. So first off, what would the system
entail?
[Rebecca Gambler:] A biometric exit system would entail the collection
of biometrics such as fingerprints from foreign nationals as they depart
the United States.
[Sarah Kaczmarek:] Okay. And then how is DHS doing here in establishing
this system?
[Rebecca Gambler:] DHS has faced longstanding challenges in developing
and implementing a biometric exit system. For example, it's faced
challenges in determining how to collect biometric data like
fingerprints from passengers at airports without unduly disrupting flows
of passengers through airport terminals. DHS' current planning efforts
are focused on developing a biometric exit capability in the air
environment and DHS is planning to test various options for how to
collect data from passengers as they exit the U.S. at airports. DHS'
plans are to be able to provide information to Congress on the options
for a biometric air exit capability including the cost and benefits.
[Sarah Kaczmarek:] And given the challenges that your team identified,
what steps is GAO recommending that DHS take?
[Rebecca Gambler:] Well, DHS is planning to assess options for how it
would implement a biometric exit capability in airports. It hasn't yet
established an evaluation framework to guide its assessment efforts. And
so we've recommended that DHS set timeframes and milestones for
completing an evaluation framework that could help guide its efforts to
assess options for a biometric air exit capability.
[Sarah Kaczmarek:] Finally, for taxpayers concerned about potential
national security risks and also public safety threats, what's the
bottom line here?
[Rebecca Gambler:] There are two bottom line messages from our report.
First, DHS is required by statute to report estimates on overstays but
it hasn't done so regularly because of concerns about the reliability of
that data. While DHS has taken some steps to improve databases that are
used to collect and store that data, they haven't been able to document
and assess how those improvements in the databases have made the data
more reliable for reporting purposes. And our second key bottom line
message is that DHS has faced significant challenges in planning for and
implementing a biometric exit capability. While DHS has plans underways
to move forward with looking at options for implementing a biometric air
exit system, they don't have in place, yet, an evaluation framework to
guide their efforts and we've recommended that they establish timeframes
and milestones for doing so.
[Background Music]
[Narrator:] To learn more, visit gao.gov and be sure to tune in to the
next episode of GAO's Watchdog Report for more from the Congressional
Watchdog, the U.S. Government Accountability Office.